Tag Archives: kids

Special Days in June

June is loaded with holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and more! Whether you’re looking for something special to study, summer school ideas, trivia, a day to celebrate, or a food to add to the menu, this list of Special Days in June, 2020 gives you plenty to choose from!

Free resources for teaching throughout the month, including a PDF of Special Days in June, can be found at the end of this list.

June Awareness/Observance Days and Themes:

  • Accordion Awareness
  • Adopt a Cat
  • Aquarium
  • Audio Book Appreciation
  • Bathroom Reading
  • Black Music
  • Camping
  • Caribbean-American Heritage
  • Childhood Cancer Awareness
  • Child Vision
  • Children’s Awareness
  • Effective Communication
  • Entrepreneurs “Do It Yourself” Marketing
  • Fight the Filthy Fly
  • Fireworks Safety
  • Forest System
  • GLTB Pride
  • Great Outdoors
  • International Men
  • Perennial Gardening
  • Potty Training Awareness
  • Rebuild Your Life
  • Rivers
  • Rose
  • Safety
  • Skyscraper
  • Smile
  • Sports America Kids
  • Student Safety
  • Surf Music
  • Zoo

June’s Food Themes:

  • Aprium
  • Beef Steak
  • Candy
  • Corn
  • Country Cooking
  • Cucumber
  • Dairy
  • Dairy Alternative
  • Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
  • Ice Tea
  • Lemon
  • Mango
  • Okra
  • Papaya
  • Pluot
  • Soul Food
  • Steakhouse
  • Turkey Lovers

June’s Daily Specials:  (the * means that the special day does not fall on the same date every year)

June 1

  • Barefoot Day
  • Dare Day
  • Flip a Coin Day
  • Global Day of Parents
  • Heimlich Maneuver Day
  • Kentucky Statehood 1792
  • Magnetic North Pole discovered 1831
  • Nail Polish Day
  • Olive Day
  • Oscar the Grouch Birthday 1969
  • Pen Pal Day
  • Say Something Nice Day
  • Samoa Independence 1962
  • Stand for Children Day
  • Tennessee Statehood 1796
  • Volunteers Week begins
  • Mormon Leader Brigham Young born 1801

June 2

  • Bubba Day
  • Queen Elizabeth Coronation 1953
  • Leave the Office Early Day
  • Milk Days
  • Radio Patented 1896
  • Rocky Road Ice Cream Day
  • Rotisserie Chicken Day
  • Yell “Fudge” at the Cobras in North America Day

June 3

  • Chimborazo Day
  • Chocolate Macaroon Day
  • Egg Day
  • Repeat Day (I said “Repeat Day”)
  • Running Day *(1st Wed.)
  • First U.S. Space Walk 1965

June 4

  • Aesop born 620 BC
  • Applesauce Cake Day
  • Audacity To Hope Day
  • Cheese Day
  • Extinct Day
  • King George III born 1738
  • First Ford Built 1896
  • Hug Your Cat Day
  • Old Maid’s Day
  • Shopping Cart invented 1937
  •  Tienanmen Square (Beijing) Massacre 1989
  • Tonga Independence 1863

June 5

  • Doughnut Day *(1st Fri.)
  • Gingerbread Day
  • Patriot Nathan Hale born 1755
  • 1st Hot Air Balloon Flight 1783
  • Author Richard Scarry born 1919
  • Veggie Burger Day
  • World Environment Day

June 6

  • Boating Week and Fishing Week *
  • D-Day 1944
  • Drive-in Movie Day
  • Gardening Exercise Day
  • Higher Education Day
  • Prairie Day * (1st Sat.)
  • Russian Language Day
  • Trails Day *(1st Sat.)
  • Yo-Yo Day

June 7

  • Animal Rights Day * (1st Sun.)
  • Business Etiquette Week begins *(1st full week)
  • Cancer Survivors’ Day * (1st Sun.)
  • Chocolate Ice Cream Day
  • Crusades – Siege of Jerusalem 1099
  • Daniel Boone Day
  • Muhammad (Islam Founder) born 570
  • Pet Appreciation Week *(1st full week)

June 8

  • Best Friends Day
  • Suction Vacuum Cleaner patented 1870
  • Upsy Daisy Day
  • Architect Frank Lloyd Wright born 1867
  • World Ocean’s Day
  • Zoo Elephant Day

June 9

  • Donald Duck debut 1934
  • Peter the Great born 1672
  • Inventor George Stephenson born 1781
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

June 10

  • Ball Point Pen patented 1888
  • Black Cow Day
  • Herbs and Spices Day
  • Ice Tea Day
  • ‘SOS” signal first used in emergency 1909
  • Author Maurice Sendak born 1928

June 11

  • Corn on the Cob Day
  • ET premiered 1982
  • Jacques Cousteau born 1910
  • German Chocolate Cake Day
  • Great Barrier Reef discovered 1770
  • Making Life Beautiful Day

June 12

  • Baseball Invented 1839
  • President George H.W. Bush born 1924
  • Children’s Day
  • Crowded Nest Awareness Day
  • Anne Frank born 1929
  • Jerky Day
  • Loving Day
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Day
  • Philippines Independence 1898
  • Red Rose Day
  • Russia Day
  • Superman, Man of Steel Day
  • World Day Against Child Labor

June 13

  • Kitchen Klutzes of America Day
  • Knit in Public Day *
  • Sewing Machine Day
  • Weed Your Garden Day
  • Poet William Butler Yeats born 1865

June 14

  • Bath Day
  • Flag Day
  • Men’s Health Week *(week before Fathers’ Day)
  • Pop Goes the Weasel Day
  • Race Unity Day *(2nd Sun.)
  • Author Harriet Beecher Stowe born 1811
  • Strawberry Shortcake Day
  • President Donald Trump born 1946
  • US Army established 1775
  • World Blood Donor Day
  • World Sea Turtle Day

June 15

  • Arkansas Statehood 1836
  • Celluloid patented 1869
  • Benjamin Franklin’s Kite Experiment Anniversary 1752
  • Electricity Day
  • Fly a Kite Day
  • Global Wind Day
  • Lobster Day
  • Magna Carta signed 1215
  • Nature Photography Day
  • National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers
  • Smile Power Day
  • Worldwide Day of Giving

June 16

  • Bloomsday
  • The Day of the African Child
  • Fresh Veggies Day
  • Fudge Day
  • Recess at Work Day

June 17

  • Apple Strudel Day
  • Battle of Bunker Hill 1775
  • Cherry Tart Day
  • Eat Your Vegetables Day
  • Artist/Mathematician M.C. Escher born 1898
  • Iceland proclaimed a republic 1944
  • Composer Igor Stravinsky born 1882

June 18

  • Battle of Waterloo 1815
  • Dump the Pump Day * (3rd Thurs.)
  • Go Fishing Day
  • International Panic Day
  • Picnic Day
  • Napoleon defeated at Waterloo 1815
  • Splurge Day
  • Sushi Day

June 19

  • Flip-Flop Day *(3rd Fri.)
  • Garfield the Cat’s birthday 1978
  • Juneteenth Day
  • Kuwait Independence 1961
  • Scientist Blaise Pascal born 1623
  • Slavery Abolished (US) 1865
  • Theologian Charles Haddon Spurgeon born 1834
  • Statue of Liberty arrived in US 1885
  • Watch Day
  • World Sauntering Day

June 20

  • American Eagle Day
  • Hike with a Geek Day
  • Ice Cream Soda Day
  • Composer Jacques Offenbach born 1819
  • Summer Solstice *
  • Surfing Day
  • Vanilla Milkshake Day
  • West Virginia Statehood 1863
  • World Juggling Day * (Sat. closest to the 17th)
  • World Refugee Day

June 21

  • Atheists Solidarity Day
  • Carpenter Ant Awareness Week begins *(last full week)
  • Daylight Appreciation Day
  • Day of the Gong
  • Father’s Day * (3rd Sun.)
  • Go Skateboarding Day
  • Make Music Day
  • Peaches ‘N’ Cream Day
  • New Hampshire Statehood 1788
  • Reaping Machine patented 1834
  • Selfie Day
  • Turkey Lovers’ Day * (3rd Sun.)
  • World Handshake Day
  • World Humanist Day

June 22

  • Chocolate Eclair Day
  • Onion Rings Day
  • Pollinator Week *
  • Stupid Guy Thing Day

June 23

  • Columnists’ Day *(4th Tues.)
  • Don’t Let Nouns Get You Down Day
  • Hydration Day
  • Let It Go Day
  • Pecan Sandies Day
  • Pink Day
  • Public Service Day
  • Saxophone patented 1846
  • Typewriter patented 1868
  • United Nations Public Service Day
  • US Secret Service established 1865

June 24

  • Animal Rights Awareness Week *
  • Fairy Day
  • Midsummer’s Eve/Day*
  • Pralines Day
  • Swim a Lap Day
  • U.F.O. Day

June 25

  • Battle of Little Bighorn 1876
  • Bomb Pop Day *(last Thurs.)
  • Author Eric Carle born 1929
  • Catfish Day
  • Log Cabin Day
  • Mozambique Independence 1975
  • Scientist Walther Nernst born 1864
  • Author George Orwell born 1903
  • Strawberry Parfait day
  • Virginia Statehood 1788
  • Watermelon Seed Spitting Days (last Thurs. – Sun.)

June 26

  • Beautician’s Day
  • Bicycle patented 1819
  • Chocolate Pudding Day
  • Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
  • Forgiveness Day
  • Handshake Day * (last Thurs.)
  • Madagascar Independence 1957
  • Pied Piper Day
  • Take Your Dog to Work Day *(Fri. after Father’s Day)
  • Toothbrush invented 1498

June 27

  • Decide to be Married Day
  • Djibouti Independence 1977
  • Great American Backyard Campout *(4th Sat.)
  • “Happy Birthday To You” song published 1924
  • Helen Keller born 1880
  • Orange Blossom Day
  • PTSD Awareness Day
  • Sunglasses Day

June 28

  • America’s Kids Day *(4th Sun.)
  • Paul Bunyan Day
  • American Flowers Week begins *
  • Artist Peter Paul Rubens born 1577
  • WW1 Began 1914

June 29

  • Camera Day
  • Fishermen’s Day
  • Hug Holiday
  • Parchment day
  • St. Peter and St. Paul’s Day
  • Please Take My Children to Work Day *(last Mon.)
  • Seychelles Independence 1976
  • Waffle Iron Day

June 30

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo Independence Day 1960
  • Gone With the Wind published 1936
  • Meteor Day
  • NOW (National Organization for Women) Day
  • Social Media Day

Free Printable – SPECIAL DAYS IN JUNE

For specific Special Day Resources  for June   https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/06/03/june-resources/

My “Go-To” list of Resources when planning lessons for Special Days         https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :

Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time

Special Days and Biographies

Special Days and Geography

Special Days and Science

Special Days Archive    – Direct links to the most recent Special Days and Resource lists for every month.

I make my monthly special days calendars by using several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. If you know of a special day that I do not have listed, please comment and let me know what it is so I can add it in. Below are the links to my favorite online special days and calendar resources.

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/june.htm

http://www.se7en.org.za/se7ens-june

http://food.unl.edu/fnh/june

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/june.html

https://whatismyspiritanimal.com/animal-holidays-celebrations/

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/

http://chartsbin.com/view/2295

http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/

Happy June!

betty jo

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Special Days in June, 2019

Click here for the Special Days in June list updated for 2020!

Special Days in January, 2019

Click here for the updated Special Days in January

Special Days in August, 2018

Celebrate Your Name Week

The first full week in March is Celebrate Your Name Week!

  • Sunday – Namesake Day
  • Monday – Fun Facts About Names Day
  • Tuesday – Unique Names Day
  • Wednesday – Discover What Your Name Means Day
  • Thursday – Nametag Day
  • Friday – Middle Name Pride Day
  • Saturday – Decendants Day

Below are some wonderful free resources for learning about names and some activity ideas for added fun.

Celebrating Names Activity Guide and Resources

Find Meaning of Names 

Name Origins, Crest, and History (also related ‘for sale’ products)

Word Art Creator 

Name Art Project

How to Say, “My name is” in 475 Languages

What’s In a Name Game from Funschooling and Recreational Learning

Write a Name Poem

Sticky Note Guessing Name Game

“The Name Game” from the 1965 Hit Song by Shirley Ellis at Youtube

“The Name Game” Lyrics and Music for Karaoke at Youtube

12 Names of Jesus Printable Cards from The Purposeful Mom

Praying and Pronouncing the Names of God from Tony Evans

Names of Large Numbers Chart   (because we need a math lesson this week too!)

I hope you’ll enjoy Celebrating your family’s names!

Betty (A diminutive of Elizabeth, meaning My God is plentiful)  Jo (A diminutive of Josephine meaning May Jehovah add. Also diminutive of Joanne meaning God is gracious.)

 

 

 

Fall Festival and Party Games

fall_festival_3

Tonight is our local homeschool group’s family night and the theme is “Fall Fest”!  Our families are encouraged to bring a DIY carnival type game.  Complicated construction or expensive materials are just not necessary for great games!  Recyclables and dollar store materials combined with a little creativity is all it takes for fantastic festival fun!

I found lots online resources as I looked around for some ideas, and I’m passing the best ones on to you for your fall parties or just some seasonal play activities for you to make with your children.

Wonderful collection of activities and games! Pumpkin Golf,  Can Game, Pumpkin Bowling, and Candy Corn Toss are just a few of the easy to make and easy to set up game ideas  offered here  http://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/blog/party-games/21-halloween-party-games-and-activities

We decided to take this Spider Launch game to the party.  There’s other awesome ideas from this assortment of  25+ Simple Carnival Games   http://frugalfun4boys.com/2015/10/07/carnival-games-kids/

Z’s working on a variation to this Marble Maze STEM activity.  It’s going be a fun challenge to make and play!  We’ll be substituting the marble with a gum ball and using orange and black loops and licorice track to  transform it into a “fall” theme  http://buggyandbuddy.com/paper-plate-marble-maze/

This Paper Plate Pumpkin memory game is super easy to make and set up.  You could attach it to a poster board to hang on the wall if floor space is an issue  Scroll down a little because there’s also a link that takes you to 10 more Simple Halloween Games  http://www.pleasantestthing.com/pumpkin-memory-game

Substitute fall colors and themes with these fun and easy to make DIY Carnival Games that are sure to entertain and challenge  little kids, teens, and grown ups  http://www.mamaslikeme.com/2013/02/diy-carnival-party-games.html

Adorable and fun Fall Carnival Games  to make if you have the time and materials  http://sophie-world.com/blog/six-fall-carnival-games

This Ring Toss Game using a pumpkin and glow sticks is the perfect solution for a last minute, super simple activity.  I’ve seen some interesting gourds at the grocery store that will work marvelously for this idea, too.  If time allows, carving or painting would add a little extra decoration, but certainly not required!

0bc48daeecd772a0fdf3c5898fe020f4Do you have a favorite DIY Fall Festival game?  Please share it!  It would be great to add your ideas to these!

betty jo

 

Free Learning Resources for the Olympic Games

Rio-2016

Our first Special Days unit study of the new school year will be based on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.  I’ve been lesson planning and collecting resources.  And, I’ve found some fantastic free online learning resources to share with you!

Homepage for the Rio 2016 Olympics!  https://www.rio2016.com/en

Olympic Sports Schedule  http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/08/01/rio-olympic-schedules-every-sport/

Meet mascots Vinicius and Tom and learn what they are and who and what they represent  https://mic.com/articles/150180/who-are-the-rio-2016-olympics-mascots-what-to-know-about-vinicius-and-tom#.Td7dxiHhF

Free Summer Olympic Lapbook Printables  http://www.homeschoolshare.com/blog/2016/06/olympics-unit-study-lapbook/

Brazil facts, interactive, and printables  http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-brazil/

Great selection of Oylmpic and Brazil free printables for all subjects and levels (you’ll need an account and it’s free to set up and won’t take long)   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Price-Range/Free/Search:summer+olympics

4 Olympic Bible verses and homeschooling ideas  http://whatsinthebible.com/the-2014-olympic-games-four-bible-verses-plus-four-homeschooling-ideas/

Olympic Maps!  Maps and information of participating countries, Brazil, Reno, the torch relay, venues, history, events, and more  http://www.mapsofworld.com/search_result.html?cx=partner-pub-0641096029648877%3A5rb90cypfn0&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=2016+summer+olympics&siteurl=www.mapsofworld.com%2F&sa=Search

Olympic Current Event Articles for kids  http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/searchresults.htm?cx=partner-pub-8444815193000008%3A4cxkf2wk1zr&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=2016+summer+olympics&sa=Search

Olympic Atheletes’ faith based current event articles for families  http://christianexaminer.com/search

Olympic Vocabulary List with interactive and printable puzzles  https://myvocabulary.com/word-game-puzzles/olympic-sports-vocabulary/

“Lighting the Olympic Torch”, “Swimsuits – What A Drag”,  “Which Olympic Sport…”  math lessons adaptable for any level.  I use this site often and anticipate other Olympic math lessons to be released throughout the next few days  http://www.yummymath.com/

Olympics history and trivia interactive quizzes  http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/sports/olympic_games/olympics_history.html

Watch videos that teach about the elements gold and silver  http://periodicvideos.com/

“Mr. Science” with Hooked on Science and a kid scientist explain how your big toe can determine your athletic potential.  http://www.hookedonscience.org/

Play Olympic Interactive Games  http://www.primarygames.com/socstudies/olympics/games.htm

“How to Be a Good Sport” article and tips for kids  with audio and printing options   http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/good-sport.html?WT.ac=p-ra#

“What If I Don’t Like Sports?”  article and tips for kids  with audio and printing options  http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/no-sports.html?WT.ac=k-ra

List of “Sports  Injuries” and athlete health articles with audio and printing options  http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/?search=y&getfields=subject.description&q=sports+injuries&site=kh&client=ms_k_en&output=xml_no_dtd&gsaRequestId=7457070404200936186&filter=0

Learn to speak Portuguese (the official language in Brazil) with flash cards and games. Lots of other Brazil  .http://www.learn-portuguese-now.com/

Portuguese language printable worksheets and quizzes  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/search/?page=1&query=learn+to+speak+portuguese

Lots of Olympic activities, printables, and craft ideas  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/olympic-games

Brazil and Olympic themed crafts and activities.  I love the coloring page of Rio!  http://www.activitybucket.com/archives/7531

BIG list of Olympic arts and crafts  http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/olympicscraftsideasactivitieskids.html

Fun and easy DIY backyard Olympic Games  ( Javelin Throw, Balance Beam, Discus Throw, Bean Bag Toss and Water Bucket Relay)  http://hoosierhomemade.com/backyard-olympic-games/

Party, food, and activity ideas  http://www.blessedlearners.com/olympic-games-at-family-fun-friday/

Let the Games Begin!  (August 5, 2016)

betty jo

 

 

 

Peanuts

peanuts-gang

October 2 marks the anniversary of the very first publication of Peanuts (1950)!  This is one of the October “special days” the kids were interested in.  Yeah, I’m interested, too.  I grew up on Peanuts.   Below are some resource links to follow as we learn and have fun with Peanuts.  

See the first Peanuts Comic!   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:First_Peanuts_comic.png

Peanuts History Article   http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2022745,00.html

Charles Schultz biography and printables  http://makingartfun.com/htm/f-maf-art-library/charles-m-schultz-biography.htm

Faith Based Video https://www.museumofthebible.org/book/minutes/147

Read Peanuts comic strips free online  http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts

Character Profiles   https://www.peanuts.com/characters/

Step by step instructions for how to draw Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other Peanuts characters  http://www.dragoart.com/tags/tuts/1/2945/how-to-draw-charlie-brown-characters.htm

Blank Comic Strip Printables for making our own comics  http://www.printablepaper.net/category/comics

The Peanuts  theme song   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQybajU2GNk

Theme Song Piano Lesson   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5C1F1QNAg

Theme Song Piano Tutorial   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tidspc7AYkE&t=24s

Easy Theme Song Piano Tutorial for Beginners   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8ASSPA8OLE

Peanuts Quiz (easy)-

What’s Your “Peanuts” IQ?

Peanuts Quiz (difficult) –

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/peanuts-quiz9.htm

And in case you’re wondering, I am going to give this study credit for literature (winks), art, music, history, and creative writing.  We may get a PE credit too  –  football kicking and baseball pitching seem to go along with the whole Peanuts theme.

Good Grief!

betty jo

It’s Unanimous For Strawberries!

At the beginning of each month I go through the special days listing, and check off what I think we should add to our studies.   I also give the list to the kids and they check off the topics that interest them. (https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/04/29/special-days-in-may/).  Rarely does a monthly theme interest all of us, but the May food theme,  STRAWBERRIES,  was unanimous!

This close to the end of our school year, I really won’t have the time to develop our own strawberry study, but can not just ignore the fact that we all want to explore this favorite food.  This is where my friend, Fran, comes in!   (http://www.franw.com/)  She has developed and published an e-book appropriately named Strawberry Craze. 

Strawberry+Craze+Cover+SampleStrawberry Craze is a 91 page study and activity guide.  Fran has graciously given me a copy and I’m so excited!  It is covers subjects across the curriculum and has something for all ages.    She gives the instructions for crafts, gardening, and science experiments.  She has included a list of questions for research projects and little known facts and trivia.  Strawberry Craze has math, health, and language connections, too.  And recipes!  Not just a couple of yummy desserts to try, but recipes for lip gloss, scratch-n-sniff stickers,  shampoo, and play clay,  just to name a few.

Strawberries have been added to the top of my weekend shopping list!  And will probably be repeated on every grocery list in between now and when we are able to pick our own from our garden.

Now is the right time to pick up a copy of the e-book for yourself.  It’s being offered for only $2!  To find out more and take a peek at some sample pages click here  http://www.franw.com/2013/09/strawberry-craze-ebook.html

Oh, by the way, Fran gave me Strawberry Craze just because she’s my friend.  The e-book gift was not given to me for the purpose of this review.  The review and recommendation is completely of my own doing.

betty jo